Apparel garment



June 23, 1942.

v. A. LEVY ETAL APPAREL GARMENT Filed Oct. 29, 1941 INVENTORS VIOLA A.LEVY v MARY ESTEL DONAHUE Patented June 23, 1942 I} UNITED STATES 'ATENT OFFICE APPAREL GARMENT of Missouri Application October 29, 1941, Serial No. 416,930

2 Claims.

This invention relates generally to apparelgarments and, more particularly, to a certain new and useful improvement in womens outer garments of the type commonly known as uniforms.

As housewives, restaurant-operators, and other employers of uniformed female workers are aware, the cost of laundering uniforms is a substantial item. For this reason and for the further reason of enhancing personal appearance, it has become customary in the uniform industy to manufacture uniform dresses in light washable fabrics and provide starched white collars and cuffs or other decorative accessories for the garment.

But, again, such accessories have not proven entirely satisfactory, for the reason that the differences in the materials, as well as differences in starching or other cleaning processes to which the same are subjected, have a tendency to produce different degrees of shrinkage between the garment and the accessory collars and cuffs, with the result that the buttons and buttonholes or other conventional types of fastening elements by which the accessory collars and cuffs are secured do not efliciently co-operate and the fit of the collars and cuffs is affected. Even at best, existing types of accessory collars and cuffs, so far as we are aware, are more or less complicated in structure and relatively difficult to attach to the garment, for the buttonholes, zippers, or

other conventional attachment means invariably become matted with starch or otherwise damaged during the course of laundering.

Our invention hence has for its primary objects the provision of a lady's apparel-garment,

particularly of the uniform or wash dress type, I

having a unique accessory or attachable collar structure which is extremely simple and economical in cost and construction, which may be conveniently attached to the garment, which is self adjustable around the neck of the wearer and will always preserve its highly attractive appearance regardless of variations in the size of the neckline of the garment to which it is attached, which will within limits fit any garment without change or modification and is thus completely interchangeable with other similar collars for duplicate uniforms, which does not become misaligned and, therefore, unsightly or difficult to attach, and which is highly efficient in the performance of its stated functions.

Although the primary purpose and principal usefulness of the present invention resides in the provision of detachable accessory collars for uniform dresses, it will, of course, be evident that the same problem equally applies to womens apparel generally. In fact, it is quite common to attach White pique collars and similar accessory items to dark afternoon dresses, outer coats, and the like. The more formal character of such garments justlfies greater pains in the attachment of the collar: hence women frequently stitch or baste the detachable collars in place. The present invention, however, will achieve equally satisfactory and desirable results with dress attire, as well as with uniforms, wash dresses, house dresses, and the like and is equally applicable to such purposes.

And with the above and other objects in view, our invention resides in the novel features of form, construction, arrangement, and combina= tion of parts presently described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing,

Figures 1, 2, and 3 are fragmentary perspective views of the upper or bodice portion of a uniform or dress constructed and equipped with a detachable collar embodying our present invention, the dress being respectively illustrated with its front flaps in partially unfastened, fully fastened, and fully unfastened positions; and

Figures 4, 5, and 6 are enlarged detail sectional views of the garment and collar respectively taken along the lines 4-4, 55, and 6li, Figure 2.

Referring now in more detail and by reference characters to the drawing, which illustrates a preferred embodiment of our present invention, A designates the upper or bodice portion of a woman's uniform preferably, though not necessarily, of the combination wash dress and shirtwaist type, that is to say, having front flaps I, 2, adapted for overlapping down the center of the garment and suitably equipped, a at a, a, for securement the one to the other with companion buttons and holes, snap-couplets, hooks and eyes, or other conventional fastening means.

The present garment A, however, has a simple undecorated neckline or neck-opening, as at 3, and the one flap I at the outer corner of its free upper end is extended upwardly beyond the neckline margin 3 in the provision of aflexible securement-tab 4 equipped upon its under face and at or adjacent its free end with a snap-fastener element or the like 5 adapted for engagement with a complementary fastener element 6 secured in co-operative position or relation upon the outer face of the companion flap 2 adjacent the neckline margin 3 for holding the tab 4 in socalled closed position, as best seen in Figures 1 and 2.

The bodice flap 2 is further provided with a small slit or opening I having somewhat the form of a buttonhole and positioned in suitable adjacence to the neckline 3 for concealment beneath the overlying bodice flap I when the fastener-elements 5, 6 are engaged for holding the tab 4 in place, as also best seen in Figures 1 and 2.

Provided for attachment to the garment bodice A at and around its neckline or margin 3, is a detachable accessory in the form of a collar B constructed of any suitable material and shape and having any decorative outer or free margin, the collar B, along its inner or neckline margin, being formed and provided with a turned-under flap or flange 8 adapted to fit loosely, but embracingly, around the neckline margin 3 of the garment bodice A, substantially as shown in Figure 4.

At its free ends, the flap or flange 8 is lengthwise extended beyond the opposite front margins 21 of the collar B in the provision of two suitably elongated complementary tabs 9, H], the tab 9 being provided on its outer face and suitably adjacent its free end with a fastener-element II and the tab l being provided on its under face and suitably also adjacent its free end with a complementary or companion fastener element I2 adapted for co-operative detachable engagement with the element ll. And it may here be stated that the tab 9 is of such width relatively to the length of the slit 1 as to fit loosely and freely therethrough, the tab I0 being preferably, though not necessarily, of the same width.

In attaching the collar B to the garment bodice A, the flaps I, 2 are opened, the collar-flange 8 set down around the neckline margin 3, and the collar-tab 9 projected through the slit 1, as shown in Figure 3. The flaps I, 2 are then fastened together, the tab I!) brought into overlying relation upon the tab 9, and the fastener elements I I, I2 secured together. Thereupon the tab 4 is brought over and tucked up under the collar B, and the fastener elements 5, 6 secured together, as shown in Figures 2 and 6.

In use, the collar B will fit snugly around the neck, accommodating itself readily to the various contours of the garment and neck of the wearer, Will be comfortable, smooth-fitting, and attractive in appearance, and may be quickly and conveniently changed or rearranged.

The garment A and its collar B fulfill in every respect the objects stated, and it should be understood that changes and modifications in the form, construction, arrangement, and combination of the several parts of the garment may be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without departing from the nature and principle of our invention.

I Having thus described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,

1. An apparel-garment comprising a bodice having a neck-opening and provided at said opening with overlapping flaps, one of said flaps being provided with a slit located for concealment by the other flap when in overlapping relation, and an accessory collar co-operable with the bodice for fitting loosely with and around said opening and provided with co-operable tabs arranged for securement the one to the other, one of said tabs being co-operatively sized for projection through said slit.

2. An apparel-garment comprising a bodice having a neck-opening and provided at said opening and in the front thereof with overlapping flaps, one of said flaps being provided with a slit located for concealmentby the other flap when in overlapping relation, an accessory collar cooperable with the bodice and marginally flanged for fitting loosely within, and embracingly about the bodice-margin at, said opening, said collar being provided at its free ends with co-operable tabs arranged for securement the one to the other and one of said tabs being co-operatively sized for projection through said slit, and means on said flaps for securing the same in overlapping relation.

VIOLA A. LEVY. MARY ESTEL DONAHUE. 

